First time in six years.
Worldwide PC shipments experienced a 1.4% year-on-year increase in the second quarter of 2018 to reach 62.1 million units, according to preliminary results by Gartner. This is the first quarter of year-on-year global PC shipment growth since the first quarter of 2012.
While the results are a positive result for the PC industry, Gartner analysts said this sign of market stability is not enough to declare a PC industry recovery just yet.
“PC shipment growth in the second quarter of 2018 was driven by demand in the business market, which was offset by declining shipments in the consumer segment,” Gartner pricinpal analyst, Mikako Kitagawa said.
“In the consumer space, the fundamental market structure, due to changes on PC user behavior, still remains, and continues to impact market growth. Consumers are using their smartphones for even more daily tasks, such as checking social media, calendaring, banking and shopping, which is reducing the need for a consumer PC.
“In the business segment, PC momentum will weaken in two years when the replacement peak for Windows 10 passes. PC vendors should look for ways to maintain growth in the business market as the Windows 10 upgrade cycle tails off.”
Lenovo was in a virtual tie with HP for the top spot in the second quarter of 2018 based on global PC shipments. HP had its third consecutive quarter of year-over-year PC shipment growth, while Lenovo experienced its highest growth rate since the first quarter of 2015.
These results are preliminary. Final statistics will be available to clients of Gartner’s PC Quarterly Statistics Worldwide by Region program.